Harold Mihinui

Harold says he doesn’t remember too much from his school days.  He remembers Arthur Lucas as the Principal and Arnold Phillips as his Form Teacher.  He travelled from Okoroire on the bus driven by Vic Lewis and strangely enough Harold and his wife Jillian purchased Vic’s Okoroire home in the early 1990s.

Harold left Matamata when his family shifted to Tauranga where he intended to carry on with his education.  That didn’t happen; in fact a relative encouraged him to put his name forward for the position of Junior Linesman with the Post Office.  He worked for the Post Office for five years before venturing to Wellington to work.  In 1968 he was notified by the Ministry of Defence that his name had been drawn to serve in the army as a national serviceman.  At that time every male 18 years or more had to register for national service.  He did the three month basic training and then did six years as a territorial.

After leaving the army Harold drove trucks.  In 1977 he married Jillian whom he met while driving for the company where she worked in the office.  They had one daughter Karen who is now living in Australia with her husband and three children.

1989 was a turning point for Harold and Jillian.  They purchased their first truck and went contracting as an owner driver with a major company.  Thirteen years and three trucks later they decided to try something different.  In 2002 he took up truck driving in USA.  During his time there he drove for three different companies and saw much of the USA while working.

While in the States they travelled to UK and Europe and have now seen most of Britain and France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Italy.

On returning from their American stint he continued working until retirement age.  Now Harold fills his days working around their home, landscaping, concreting and making “Vic’s” place their country paradise!